Mississippi Science P.5.6.5
The Standard
- P.5.6
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of the factors that affect the motion of an object through a study of Newton's Laws of Motion.
Predict how a change of force, mass, and/or friction affects the motion of an object to convert potential energy into kinetic energy.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Motions, Forces, and Energy
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students predict how a cart will move when the force, mass, or friction changes. They describe how energy stored at the top of a ramp becomes motion energy as the cart rolls down.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain why a cart speeds up as it rolls downhill and slows down on a rough surface. They can predict that the same push changes a heavy cart's speed less than a light cart's speed.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think a heavier cart always rolls faster down the same ramp. They may also think friction adds speed or that energy disappears when the cart stops.
How to Assess It
- Show a drawing of a cart at the top of a ramp that ends on carpet. Ask students to label stored and motion energy, then predict what changes if the carpet is rougher or the cart gets a stronger push.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Roll a toy cart from the same ramp mark onto smooth paper and sandpaper, then measure how far it travels on each.
Ask: Why does a toy car speed up downhill but slow down on carpet? Have students name the forces and energy change.
Give pairs three cards: stronger push, heavier cart, rougher track. Have them predict each cart's motion and defend one choice.
Sketch a bike rolling downhill onto gravel, then mark where it gains speed and where friction slows it.
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Printable P.5.6.5 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to P.5.6.5, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- P.2.6.3
Develop a plan to change the force (push or pull) of friction to solve a human problem (e.g., improve the ride on a playground slide or make a toy car or truck ...
- P.3.6.2
Plan an experiment to investigate the relationship between a force applied to an object (e.g., friction, gravity) and resulting motion of the object.
- P.2.6.2
Generate and answer questions about the relationship between (1) friction and the motion of objects and (2) friction and the production of heat.
- P.5.6.3
Develop and use models to explain how the amount or type of force, both contact and non-contact, affects the motion of an object.
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